Former Big River Steel executive Mark Bula has been appointed chief strategy officer (CSO) and general manager (GM) of Steel for Everguard.ai, a California-based artificial intelligence business. Bula will be responsible for the strategic leadership of overall growth plans and will spearhead the company’s efforts in the steel industry.

Bula comes with 30 years of experience in organisations ranging from $38 million USD to billion-dollar start-ups and brings steel industry-specific knowledge to the development of Everguard.ai’s growing product portfolio, as well as developing and implementing effective go-to-market strategies.

Bula previously worked at electric arc furnace (EAF) mills at Nucor, Severcorr and Big River Steel and was part of the founding management team that oversaw the commercial launch of Osceola, Arkansas-based Big River Steel. Bula was responsible for Big River’s go-to-market strategy along with industry legend John Correnti.

Bula has also impacted other heavy industries such as construction, chemicals, mining, steel fabrication and consumer product manufacturing during a tenure in strategic management consulting. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in International Business from the University of Toledo and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in industrial marketing from Robert Morris University.

“Every organisation wants to prioritise the safety of their employees,” Bula said. “Technology and artificial intelligence can play a critical role in protecting workers and making a plant both more efficient and safer. Everguard.ai’s Sentri360™ offers an AI suite of applications and devices that gathers data through multi-sensor inputs in real-time to proactively avoid workplace injuries and reduce safety concerns.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark to help guide Everguard.ai’s expansion in the metals industry,” said Sandeep Pandya, CEO of Everguard.ai. “With Mark’s rich expertise, we aim to help industrial environments maintain safe and healthy workplaces, especially in a post COVID-19 world.”